Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Giants Talk With Lou Piniella

ESPN reported Tuesday that the Giants have had preliminary discussions with Lou Piniella about their managerial opening. Pinella was supposedly the front runner to take the New York Yankee job if it became available, but Joe Torre reported Tuesday that he'll be back with the Yankees next year. Now that the Yankees are out of the mix, it appears that the Giants, Cubs and Rangers are the 3 most likely destinations for Pinella. Pinella was interviewed Monday about all the possibilities, and he surprisingly had the most to say about the Giants. Pinella mentioned how much he likes the city of San Francisco and also said that he and GM Brian Sabean are very close friends. If the Giants did hire Pinella, it would give Brian Sabean a manager who he would actually be on speaking terms with. It wasn't a secret that Felipe Alou and Brian Sabean, while they did respect each other and got along okay, weren't friends. That being said, I also think that if the Giants did hire Piniella, they would probably continue on the path they have been over the last 4 years. Each year over that span, the Giants have added various veteran free agents to try and keep them in the mix each year and they haven't been successful. I'm afraid that bringing in a high profile, big name manager like that would tempt Brian Sabean to continue to add age and experience to the roster rather then sticking by his plan to get younger and more athletic just like he did when they hired Felipe Alou. I still think Bob Brenley will be the Giants' next manager.

Barry Bonds and the Giants front office have had some choice words indirectly towards each other over the past couple weeks. It all started when Barry was asked if he would come back to the Giants under an incentive laden contract and Bonds' shot that down with a quickness. In response to that, Peter Magowan announced that even if Barry does come back, he won't be the centerpiece of the team. What that essentially means is that he isn't going to spend 20 percent of the Giants payroll on a 42 year-old aging outfielder, no matter what he's done for the team over the past decade. Who knows if Magowan and the Giants will stick to this plan, but by hearing that, it makes me think that Barry Bonds returning to the Giants next year may not be as sure of thing as everybody thought.